Private equity-backed mergers and acquisitions fall to 31-month low

Value of such transactions has also been coming down over time

The number of mergers and acquisitions (M&As) in August that involved private equity (PE) funds was the lowest in nearly three years. There were 26 such deals last month, according to data from tracker Refinitiv (part of London Stock Exchange Group).

The last time monthly deal numbers were so low in recent times was January 2021 when Covid cases were picking up during the second wave of the pandemic. The deal value for PE-backed transactions was $540 million, the second-lowest monthly value since November 2020.

A PE fund pools money from wealthy investors and uses the capital to